Detroit’s new Campus Martius Park is an extraordinary public space where residents, workers and visitors come together to relax, enjoy, play and celebrate Detroit. It is the center of the revitalization of downtown Detroit. This 1.6 acre public space has been designed as an outdoor, year round, gathering area set within a new oval road system, with brick pavers and granite curbs, and amid new as well as historic skyscrapers. The historic Soldiers and Sailors Monument was disassembled and relocated at a prominent location at the south end of the Park, with a new foundation and four small fountains on each side. In the center of the Park is a large, central fountain which will shoot water over 100 feet into the air, even in the winter. Detroit’s Christmas tree is placed on top of the fountain during the holidays. Other fountains include two long serpentine water walls adjacent to both the north and the south lawn areas. The north lawn area converts into a skating rink, in the winter, which is larger in size than the one at Rockefeller Center in New York.
The Park surfaces included a mixture of blue stone pavers and crushed limestone paths as well as trees, bushes, and flower gardens. Other amenities included a small pavilion building, containing the famous Au Bon Pain restaurant, and flexible staging areas for hosting live events such as art festivals, concerts, puppet shows, and exhibitions. Provisions for lawn games and portable tables for chess or checkers were also included.
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